


*Wells-Ramon* Season One: Bitter Almond Views Over Gotham

by dancingdragon3



Series: Loving a Horde and Other Life Lessons [3]
Category: Batwoman (TV 2019), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Complicated Relationships, Doppelganger, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Male Slash, Romance, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24015574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancingdragon3/pseuds/dancingdragon3
Summary: Picks up a day and a half after "One Goodbye Too Many." Cisco and Harry start their romantic jaunt in Gotham City. They soon run into bad guys, old and new. Complications quickly arise, entangling them with the dangerous city.Along the way, Cisco and the Wellses try to make new places for themselves in the world, help friends, and work out the kinks in the ever-deepening Wells-Ramon relationship.
Relationships: Cisco Ramon & Harrison "Nash" Wells, Cisco Ramon/Earth-2 Harrison "Harry" Wells
Series: Loving a Horde and Other Life Lessons [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710802
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	*Wells-Ramon* Season One: Bitter Almond Views Over Gotham

**Author's Note:**

> ~Rating and tags will change with updates~
> 
> Structure Note: I’ve decided to arrange this series as though it’s a spin off centered on Cisco (if it was picked up by HBO, lol ;-). Imagining the first story as backdoor pilot scenes on The Flash. 
> 
> Canon timeline note: For Covid 19 - plot timing reasons, I’ve compressed the timeline after Crisis. The first two chapters take place:  
> Friday, January 17, 2020.  
> During Batwoman 1x17 “A Narrow Escape”, after Kate has her first panic attack, then goes AU for Batwoman.  
> Right after Supergirl 5x15 “Reality Bytes”. 
> 
> Content Note: I am taking a lot of Cisco’s backstory and characterization from The Chronicles of Cisco. It’s a fun read that I highly recc, especially for other Cisco writers. Because I love how the Arrowverse isn’t afraid to be cheesy or musical at times, I am sprinkling some of both here and there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Supergirl reference note: [Obsidian technology](https://arrow.fandom.com/wiki/Obsidian_North) from season five.

Cisco loved Gotham City. Sure, it stank a little. It somehow existed under a perpetual gloom even when the sun was out. The people passing them on the sidewalk could be less aggressive, but that was all part of its character. Crime wise, it was historic. 

Years before the particle accelerator explosion launched a host of meta baddies onto the streets of Central City, The Bat had been going up against legendary villains with entire entourages. A lack of powers made them no less scary or dangerous. And their names. The style. Riddler. Scarecrow. The Joker. Even themed costumes for their henchman. So incredibly cool.

“Gotham had one of the highest crime rates in the country before Batwoman showed up. But, since the police are underfunded and The Crows only protect the rich and famous, it still has one of the highest rates.” He frowned at Kara’s byline. 

Cisco had been rattling statistics off his phone for several blocks. Being downtown, their hotel was within a mile from everything they wanted to do today, so they walked instead of hiring the private car they could now afford.

“And by human criminals.” Harry scoffed. “We might even get mugged.” He smirked and raised both eyebrows. 

Cisco dodged an oncoming man carrying a huge, folded up umbrella. “Hate to tell ya, buddy, but sane people wouldn’t sound intrigued by that.”

Harry opened one of the enormous brass doors of the bank. “Given what we’re used to, it would be almost quaint.” 

“‘Quaint’ is no way, no how, the word I would use to describe a mugging. Especially in _this_ city.” He squeaked to a halt, eyes going wide. “Wow, they do nothing small and simple here, do they?” 

Gotham Central Bank looked like a cathedral with marble columns and floors. The view from the lobby went up and up for at least a dozen stories of dark wood, gilded accents, and stained glass.

“I thought you’d been here before?” Harry leaned down and murmured, “Can you stop gawking like a tourist? It’s bad for our image.” 

“Bad for your image.” Cisco slapped Harry’s arm. “And I only stayed here a day.” He shrugged. “There weren’t many changes, and I was way more interested in all the new aliens and tech from Earth-38. None of whom seemed to have moved here.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Harry said dryly. “It seems like such a welcoming place. _Not_.” He looked around the room with a scowl. “Are we supposed to wander around until we stumble over who we have an appointment with?” 

The one clerk behind the long, dark green marble countertop had a line six people deep. A few ornately trimmed, cherry wood desks were scattered around the lobby, but all the people seated behind them were spaced out, wearing white Obsidian contact lenses. 

“If you ever catch me with a pair of those VR lenses, you have my permission to make me eat them.” Not like the tech didn’t interest Cisco, but anything that creeptastic looking couldn’t be good. 

“Don’t worry. You’ll be too busy eating something else,” Harry rasped into his ear. 

Cisco gasped. “ _Harrison Wells_. What kind of a man do you take me for?” He bit his lip and tried Sexy, Daring Grin Number Two. 

Harry gave him a flinty eyed once over. “As much as I’d like to stand here flirting in a room full of strangers, I actually don’t like being invisible.” He sneered, then strode to the nearest desk and rapped it loudly with his knuckles. “Hey, zombie eyes.” He snapped his fingers. “Ya got customers worth lots of money. Give us some attention.” 

Cisco smirked, heart filling with warmth. A cranky Harry meant all was right with his world.

@@@@@

As they had done before leaving home, they plumped up Cisco’s checking and savings accounts, then arranged for a new credit card with a ridonculus limit to be sent to a P.O. box in National City. Cisco had been appalled at learning that Harry put his money aside in Cisco’s name. Sure, Harry couldn’t use his own name, but they’d made up a fake identity for him attached to the face he currently sported, made by H.R.’s facial transmogrification device. And that ID did have a debit card with S.T.A.R. Labs' account. Regardless, the bulk of what he’d brought from Earth-2, exchanged via gold bullion, because that was a thing rich people did apparently, had been left for Cisco.

“I just don’t get why you never told me about it,” Cisco said as they stepped back into the dim sunlight. 

“I would have if I knew I was going to die. I recorded a farewell message for you. Attorneys would have contacted you. But, you know. Planet exploded. No one left to take care of anything.” 

Feeling heartsick, Cisco took Harry’s hand. Dying was bad enough, but to know your last wishes couldn't be carried out was a completely unnecessary added layer of suck. He stopped walking when realization hit. “Wait, do you -“ Someone cursed at them and shuffled past. Why were they always bumping his side? Harry scowled at the retreating woman. Cisco quickly checked his pockets, then pulled them out of the flow of foot traffic. “Are you saying I was in your will?”

“Besides the company details, and Jesse, who else would be?” Harry said. 

“Damn, Harry...” Cisco hugged his arm. “That is some next level sentimental.” 

Harry smiled shyly. “Don't tell anybody. And it really wasn’t-“

After another person scraped by too close, Cisco yanked Harry into the nearby alley and pushed him against the brick wall. “Shut up and kiss me, you fool.” 

They were getting very good at the kissing. Harry wearing his usual aftershave lotion helped way more than Cisco would admit out loud. He never realized how important smell was, but it was distracting for his nose to keep saying he was kissing Nash. Cisco planned to ask him about hair dye to get rid of the sunstreaks. Anything to get him looking more like his Wells and no one else. 

“I love you,” Cisco whispered as they parted. 

Harry closed his eyes and dramatically grabbed his chest. 

Cisco smiled. “Now what were you gonna say?” He smoothed down where he’d rumpled Harry’s turtleneck. 

“I um...” Harry blinked and cleared his throat. “The money, it wasn’t that big a deal. I had plenty of it to go around.” He rested his arms over Cisco’s shoulders. “I just wanted to make sure you could do whatever you wanted. In case something happened with Team Flash.” He ran a finger against Cisco’s hair, tucking a bit behind his ear. “I didn’t want you to get stuck working under someone with half your IQ points because of the piss poor economy and work standards on this Earth.” 

“Harry, with that kinda money I could practically start my own tech company.” 

“Exactly.” Harry shrugged like that was _nothing_. Like of course he knew Cisco could just go out and _do_ that. 

A thousand responses caught in Cisco’s throat. He opened his mouth...but could only manage a faint, “Thank you for thinking of me.” 

“I’m always thinking about you,” Harry admitted gruffly. 

It was Cisco’s turn to make the shot in the heart gesture. It was silly, but they were both doing it, and it was amazing to be able to express how Harry made him feel. Like his lungs were about to burst wide open. 

He ran his hands over Harry’s chest, then under his coat and around his waist, snuggling closer until their pelvises touched. “I think we should skip the museum, go back to the hotel, and uh...work on our new project.” Cisco waggled his eyebrows. Kissing wasn’t the only thing they were practicing getting good at.

Harry hummed and teetered them back and forth until they were turned around. He pressed Cisco’s shoulders against the bricks, holding him in place for another kiss. Cisco moaned and pulled him closer. Harry cupped his jaw in both hands, slotting their mouths together at a better angle so their tongues could slide together. Cisco rolled his hips. Harry groaned and shuffled closer, and soon their tongues weren't the only things sliding against each other. 

“Woowee, it must be Christmas all over again. Come out of a bank and walk straight into my alley. You tourists are getting dumber every day.” 

Harry's back tensed under Cisco's hands. “Sounds like you got your wish,” Cisco murmured against Harry's lips. 

“More like I did,” Nash said. Still breathing each other's air, Nash licked his lips and lightly slapped the side of Cisco’s head. “Don’t sweat it, kid. I got this.” He slipped a hand between their bodies. Cisco’s stomach fluttered, but Nash only fiddled with his techno fanny pack. The only part of his uniform Harry agreed to wear. Nash let go of Cisco to rise to his full height. Wearing a dark, dangerous grin, he turned around, hands fisted loosely at his sides.

“Yo, Indiana, I can take care of myself,” Cisco called to Nash’s back. Nash waved nonchalantly. Cisco grinned and leaned against the wall with his hands in his jacket pockets. If Nash wanted to stretch his legs, maybe impress Cisco a little, who was he to hold him back? He couldn’t resist giving Nash a slow once over as he swaggered down the alley. It was perfectly normal to admire a close friend's joie de vivre. He did it all the time.

Their mugger wore what looked like a pillowcase over his head, a gigantic, striped bow tie, and a grey suit, all ripped up and streaked with dirt or grease. “Just hand over your money and any fancy watches ya got, and this’ll be over quick and painless.” To emphasize the threat, he was swinging around a cricket bat of all things. “And those boots, too. They look nice.” 

Cisco rolled his eyes. "For real?" he muttered. Then a guilty part of him couldn't help wondering about the implications of such a demand in this economically depressed city.

Nash fell into a loose, fighting stance. “Fella, I would tell you what a mistake you’ve made, but I’m gonna have a lot more fun showing you.”

“Think the mistake is yours, old man.” Four more goons stepped out from behind dumpsters on both sides of the alley. Unlike the lead man, his backups all wore oversized Easter bunny masks. 

Cisco straightened up with an excited gasp. “Oh, dude! We’re getting jacked by the Wonderland Gang.” He fumbled in his pocket for his phone. “Hey, don’t beat’em up yet. I gotta get a picture of this. First day, this is so cool!” 

Nash turned a little, using his body to hide that he was slipping another device off his belt. “I don’t think they’re gonna pose for self-imaging jobs.” 

“Selfies, man. They’re called selfies.” Pillowcase made a move. Cisco pointed while trying to get his camera app in video mode. “Hey, watch out!”

Nash rotated and dodged the bat blow headed his way. In the same motion, his hand shot out. Electric sparks flew over the chest and head of the bunny on the near left. He collapsed to the ground in a twitching heap. Then came the smoke bomb, landing near the two bunnies approaching from the rear. 

Nash grabbed the lead man’s bat on the next swing, following it through and back up to crack against the guy’s pillow cased face so loudly it made Cisco wince. Nash kicked the near rightside bunny in the stomach, then flung lead pillowcase man into him, sans bat. The two men tumbled behind the nearest dumpster. Whistling and twirling the cricket bat, Nash waded into the smoke. Thumps and yells followed. 

_So hot_. Cisco bit his lip, reminding himself not to think that during sex with Harry. Still recording the action with his phone in one hand, Cisco pulled out his new miniaturized pulse pistol, and tip-toed over to keep an eye on the two cosplay goons laying behind the dumpster. 

It wasn’t long before Nash reappeared dragging the last two bunny henchmen out of the dissipating smoke, and dumping them and the cricket bat on top of the one he’d electrocuted. He walked up to Cisco, clap-wiping his hands together. 

“Well, that was a good start to this trip. What’s next? Suppose you wanna call the uh...local authorities on these asshats?” 

"On it." With a proud smile threatening to split his face in two, Cisco turned his camera app off so he could make the call.

While Cisco and Nash waited for the GCPD to arrive, neither of them noticed the gaunt, bald man lurking on the bank’s roof. 

“Cisco Ramon. How nice to see you again,” he whispered with satisfaction, before turning into a dark, green fog. It looked like impossible deals were going to be upheld after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this being such a short introduction to the next story. My chipmunk shaped muse decided it just had to get down action that takes place later in this series. But at least I can confidently say this story knows where it's going.


End file.
